I was perfectly satisfied when Killing Joke released Absolute Dissent in 2010. Actually, I was grateful for the triumphant return of such a seminal band after their nearly thirty-year absence. Okay, let’s face it, I would feel fortunate to experience only half of their eight or so albums from 1980-1989. I never imagined that I would be able to enjoy a new chapter of Killing Joke and that it would be as good as it was. To be able to...

Hey Junky, Awright, so, le's do da dance again shall we? I got alla music fo' ya, an' I think yer gonna line what I got dis week! I gotcha some special, tasty bits o' SWAG fo' ya that I think'll turn'at lil chippy inta a full-blown habit! Firs' I gotcha da piece'atchu c'n get mos' anywhere, I gotcha da new OFF! tune, "Cracked." Remember las' week're somethin' when I said "Gee, that band must be getting comfortable or something,...

There's little doubt that one of the more highly anticipated specialty releases in the first half of 2012 has been the 126 Inches Of… vinyl singles box set by NOFX. It might be difficult to understand why such a release would capture the imaginations of both fans and critics, but reasoning is actually surprisingly simple: since forming in 1983, the band has committed a tremendous amount of music to the proverbial wax, almost always in limited numbers. Simply said, a...

At a certain point in their careers, every band has an incredible moment of clarity in which they realize they've broken through and been accepted by a community of listeners. It's a great, exciting moment – but there's a catch: the band has broken through and become an establishment, which means they have to work even harder to impress their fans. At that point, just towing a line is no longer an option because those supporters who have been with...

At a certain age, a band must put down childish things and make a choice: they must decide if they're making music for their fans to enjoy or for their own personal creative fulfillment. This choice has been known to be the death of some bands, but making it one way or the other shouldn't necessarily cast positive or negative tones on the band; it really is just something they need to do in order to start making the music...

The room was quite full by 9:00pm when These United States began to play, but the floor in front of the stage was still largely unoccupied. The few who hugged the mangy, stained carpet which wraps over the stage-front were the true fans. Those who insisted on trying to talk to the band between every song and every time bassist Anna Morsett crouched down to have a sip of beer. But These United States ate it up; they fed off...

Maybe more than any other band in history, The Dandy Warhols have personified the theory (most often upheld by cooler-than-thou hipster/scenester trash) that indie rock bands are at their best when they're the private pleasure of a small group of people. Anyone who questions the legitimacy of that statement need only look at the band's history for proof; with two good albums already under their belt (Dandys Rule OK and Come Down), The Dandy Warhols blew up on the strength...

The problem with remix albums is that, for all the promise and star power they usually have, they very, very regularly come up short because they're unable to establish a consistent vibe or sensation for listeners. It's ironic, of course, because all of the songs on such albums began life as the work of one artist, but all the fingers which touch a remix album diffuse, obscure or otherwise sully the point. Such are exactly the sorts of problems which...

Twenty-one years since the release of their debut album, Leisure, in 1991 and due to popular demand, Blur's body of work has been personally compiled by the band and gathered together in one box, due for release by Parlophone on 30th July 2012 (31st July in North America). All seven studio albums are collected with over 5½ hours of unreleased material including 65 previously unreleased tracks and more than twice as many rarities, 3 DVDs, a collector's edition book featuring rare...

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